The present invention relates to an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus and an ultrasound image producing method and particularly to reduction in electric power consumption by an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus for giving a diagnosis based on an ultrasound image produced by transmission and reception of ultrasonic waves from a transducer array of an ultrasound probe.
Conventionally, ultrasound diagnostic apparatus using ultrasound images are employed in the medical field. In general, this type of ultrasound diagnostic apparatus includes an ultrasound probe equipped with a built-in transducer array and an apparatus body connected to the ultrasound probe. The ultrasound probe transmits ultrasonic waves toward a subject and receives ultrasonic echoes from the subject. The received signals are then electrically processed in the apparatus body to generate an ultrasound image.
In recent years, there have been developed portable ultrasound diagnostic apparatus that can be brought to a bed or transported to a site for emergency medical care. This type of ultrasound diagnostic apparatus uses a battery for power supply, and, therefore, the power consumption of the apparatus greatly affects the time length of continuous use thereof. Since the amount of heat generated inside the apparatus increases with the power consumption, the dimensions of the apparatus needs to be increased as a measure to release heat, reducing the benefit of portability.
In particular, in a wireless probe connected wirelessly to the apparatus body, since transmission and reception circuits for transmitting ultrasonic waves from the transducers and receiving ultrasound echoes need to be housed in a compact probe, a great reduction in power consumption is demanded in these circuits.
Reduction in the number of mounted transmission and reception circuits would accordingly save on power consumption but when the number of simultaneous apertures also decreases with the number of transmission and reception circuits, high quality images are no longer to be obtained.
JP 2000-139912 A describes an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus wherein, in order to enable signal reception with broad apertures even when small-angle deflection is effected, the signals from a plurality of adjacent transducers are unequally added up to reduce the number of reception signals, followed by digital conversion and phasing delay addition by a beam former.